The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward was a brilliant study in suspense and one of my favorite books of recent years so of course I was excited to read this release of a book previously unpublished in the U.S.

This is one of those books where the less said the better. It needs to be experienced without any inkling of what is to come. I will say I highly enjoyed this one. Give me all the cults all the time and this one is a doozy- a family built on cult dynamics and waiting for the end of the world as they worship the Adder. This is one of those books that is hard to pigeon hole but I think it is best described as gothic psychological horror with some historical fiction and mystery added in.

Dripping with atmosphere, the setting lends itself perfectly to this tale and adds to the overall feeling of isolation and oppression. Ward is a master at building suspense and she sprinkles her surprises throughout and this keeps the reader deliciously off balance and swiftly turning pages to see where the story is going next. Ward is such an interesting writer and I look forward to seeing what she will produce for years to come. Thank you to @netgalley and @tornightfire for an arc of this book.

Little Eve grabbed me in a way that I was not expecting it to and would not let go. It was incredibly creepy. After reading Catriona Ward’s The House on Needless Street last year, I knew I would have to read this one as well even though The House on Needless Street made me a little sick to my stomach. This book did too. The way that Ward has characters describe truly horrifying things in a very matter of fact way just adds extra layers onto the horror in a fascinating way.
Little Eve begins with the discovery of the apparently murdered bodies of most of the inhabitants of the island of Altnaharra in Scotland. It then jumps back in time to tell us the beliefs, rituals, and story associated with what is essentially a small family cult. Little Eve is very interested in seeing and being seen, and perhaps I will leave it at that.
From the opening pages I found myself intrigued, and then read on in a sort of horrified fascination. I had a hard time putting this book down, and it lingered when I tried to fall asleep after putting it down, so fair warning to those who read it.

Thank you Catriona Ward, Tor Nightfire, and Netgalley for the gifted eARC.

A clan lives on the isle of Altnaharra off the coast of Scotland. There they prepare for the coming of the Adder where only one of them will inherent its powers. Little Eve wants those powers desperately and will do anything to get them.

One day Chief Inspector Black arrives to investigate a murder at the nearby town and things at Altnaharra no longer go as planned. Soon the secrets of Altnaharra are revealed.

Little Eve is one creepy, twisted read. The beginning was slow and a little confusing. It takes some time to get into the plot and character building and to fully grasp what is going on with these characters and on Altnaharra. Do not give up early on. I promise it's worth it to keep reading. I almost stopped reading, but I'm glad I didn't because this was definitely a great one. Little Eve is a dark Gothic story with some graphic scenes, cult rituals, a mystery, and a twist at the end that I did not see coming.

Book Review
Little Eve by Catriona Ward

Not sure what I just read… horror story, childhood fable, a Grimm’s fairy tale

Ward has a way of coiling her stories into the minds of her readers… I am still trying to unravel the threads she has woven that are now knotted within my psyche

When I close my eyes tonight will I wake to find pine tar on my lips… Will I wake to find a wooden spoon lying beside me and bruises upon my body… will I linger within my dreams, the rushing waves pulling me further under…. Will the taste of honey on my tongue make my heart quicken….will Little Eve come for me…

(Insert nightmare here)


Thank you to @netgalley and @tornightfire for my gifted copy in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own.

I think the only way to read Catriona Ward is to go in blind, have no expectations and allow yourself to be immersed into the world she builds. Her plots challenge my perspective.

Little Eve definitely showed that you can be swept up in a belief or system simply because the people around you believe it hard enough for you both. When you look up to people and expect the truth and then find out it wasn't as it seemed, that can be heart breaking. To put so much energy into someone, or something, to only realize the same wasn't given to you, well, that hurts.

All of the characters in this story held a separate type of weight, each one of the same journey but in different degrees. We mostly learn through Eve's pov and stick with her as she challenges herself with discovering information. Eve likes to learn things.

Gothic horror can be one of those genres that can be misunderstood, when people expect edge of the seat and shocking, they are looking for a thriller. If you are looking for something haunting and a fear that is all too real, this is a good one to read.

Catriona Ward can do no wrong for me. Cults? Sisters? Scotland?!?! I was sold from the get-go and she sure delivered.

I read this book in one day. I could not put it down, it was gripped in my hand until the final page was turned. Catriona Ward has created a dark, atmospheric read that will drag you to Scotland where a "family" is residing in a battered castle. They are always chilled, their clothes are torn and ragged, they are just skin and bones. While 'Uncle' is fit, fed to the gills, and the man who calls all the shots. Who are these people and how exactly are they related? That is the question that is peeled back layer by layer. The truth will haunt your dreams.

Little Eve has known no other place. Altnaharra is in her blood, in her bones, and she will feel the pull when she is allowed to leave. There are strict rules they must obey; they must watch what one another is doing and tell if any stray. Tension, anger, and distrust runs thick. This is all a game to 'Uncle' he uses them as his pawns. To push and pull them here and there and do what he wants with them. The mind games that he uses and the way he tortures these young children and women is heart wrenching. They bend to his will in order to please the Adder.

This is an astounding tale that will stalk your dreams. It will take you on a twisty, tangled ride that will make you feel like you are inside of a hurricane. Trying to uncover who is doing what and why. The ending comes together with one final explosive twist that brings the entire story together. The descriptions and details are masterfully written. The characters fill the full spectrum. Some dark and menacing, others just young children who are caught in a web of deceit. I loved this riveting, intense, blood chilling ride that Ward brought me on. I highly recommend it! Thank you to Catriona Ward, Tor Nightfire, and NetGalley for starting my October reads off right.

What an amazing book full of spooky twists and turns! This was not as "scary" to me in a sense that I could not sleep at night because I was so freaked out, but more terrifying/horrifying and one that I will be thinking about for a long time. It did take me a while to get into this, but once it picked up I was hooked and I'm glad I really gave it a chance. The writing was descriptive but not in a way that causes readers to lose the plot, and the character dialogue really captured each individual personality well. Can't wait to see how well this book does stateside!

A fantastic, scenic Gothic novel about outcasts of society within their own insular community and the faith that binds them together. Raised as children in Alternhera with no knowledge of their true parentage, a group of children do not realize that the true evil may not be the outside world but the world within their supposedly safe walls. When a tragic crime occurs, the layers are slowly peeled back to reveal the truth of the mysterious community and those who lived there. Digging into themed of religion, family, and community this is a well written psychological novel that will stay with readers.

Though this was very different from what I usually read, I really enjoyed this! Right off the bat you can tell that something is wrong and it takes a few chapters to start to piece everything together. The very first scene pulls you in because of how jarring and bizarre it is, so you have to keep reading to see where it all goes. Once I started, I found it very difficult to put down. I certainly recommend this to anyone who loves gothic, gory, horror books. While there are definitely some graphic scenes, the world that the characters live in is more messed up than any of the gruesome parts. It's terrifying in the best way.

I really enjoyed this novel. Some pros: the atmosphere/setting, the characters, and the mystery. It was a propulsive read - I wanted to know how it would unfold. I love a story with multiple timelines. Cons: felt like a different author from Sundial. This novel is a different style but not in a negative way. I would recommend to people who enjoy atmospheric stories with a mysterious cult.

Little Eve uses alternating timelines through alternating characters to tell the story of a small cult on the island of Altnaharra. John Bearings landed there in 1898 with young women Alice and Nora in order to properly worship the Adder. I thought the history of Altnaharra and their relationship with the mainland was very interesting and really added to the plot. I also enjoyed seeing John go downhill over the years as he went further into his delusions.

One of my problems with this story, which there aren’t many, is that there’s so many characters, and with the flip-flopping chapters, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with who we’re following. We follow Evelyn and Dinah, two of the young women of the cult, as they tell the story of how the cult ended. We also see adult Dinah discuss some of the past. A few times we even meet the detective on the case, Christopher Black. When I was properly following the storyline, it was a good read. I enjoyed the setting and the characters, and the cult/John was super creepy.

This novel takes place in the late 1910s and early 1920s, with later reflections from the 30s and 40s. I’m not sure if this really helped the story; I think it could have taken place in any time period. I’d actually love to see this story written in more modern times with cell phones and better forensics.

I recommend this book for people who love twisty-turny stories, and probably more for people who take notes (especially for the characters). The twist at the end was pretty predictable, but not necessarily unenjoyable. I really enjoy Catriona Ward’s writing, and even though I wasn’t as big a fan of Little Eve as I was of Sundial, it’s still worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this advanced review copy. While Little Eve is already available in the UK, it comes out through Tor on October 11th.

CW for death, injury, vomit, miscarriage/stillborns, domestic violence, suicide, alcoholism, animal death, animal cruelty, sexual assault/violence/ambiguous reference to rape

DNF - I was really looking forward to this one but this book just was not for me. I had to give up 100 pages in. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC.

I wanted to love this book as I loved the Last House on Needless Street. I just could not. It was unpleasant to read. I continued just waiting for some sort of ebb and flow. It was unrelenting, though. I just could not enjoy reading about the abuse. There was no payoff for me.

Catriona Ward does it again. LITTLE EVE features visceral tension that is ratcheted-up perfectly as the book proceeds. Evocative and distubring, this is one of those ones that stays with you.

I was surprised at how much I loved this. I have read some other things by this author that I wasn't the biggest fan of, but I enjoyed this one a lot. I loved the gothic setting and tone, as well as the cultish mystery at the heart of this work. (I'm a big fan of cults and space-ships--those are my two favorite things, so if a book has at least one of those you've already got me hooked). I thought that the mystery and overall plot was well paced, and the twists and turns were well embedded--they didn't feel too obvious of too enshrouded. I wanted a little bit more world-detail and character motivation (especially for John) but I still really enjoyed this work!

What is most enjoyable about Catriona Ward’s work, for me, is the voices she uses for the characters. Seeing the story through the character’s eyes makes the reading experience immersive and makes me wonder if I’m not spiraling into my own bit of madness. To go inside the head of people who are experiencing the world in a way far different from your own is a fascinating experience and provokes new ways of thinking.

This story is in a unique setting on an island off the coast of Scotland. It is a historic dystopia. We enter a world with one-room schoolhouses and a more primitive time. The characters share their story from their point of view, and it takes time to fully grasp what their circumstances are. This keeps the story interesting and the reader wondering – both good things for an author to achieve. Once we begin to follow the story, and the perspective that is not our own, the book takes us on a journey that we want to, no, must finish!

A copy of Little Eve by Catriona Ward was provided to me by NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire for an honest review.

Little Eve is getting its US debut, although it is actually the second book written/published by Ward. It has the creepy atmosphere we have come to expect from Ward - the castle, Altnaharra, is almost its own character. A gothic historical thriller (the events take place between 1917-1921 for the most part), Eve examines the relationships among members of a cult. An extremely twisted cult that you will not fully understand until you finish the book. Eve and Dinah treat each other as sisters, although there is also a competition between them to eventually become the leader. I really don't want to say much about the plot (I feel the same about all of Ward's books) for fear that I will ruin it for the next reader. It's expertly plotted, going back and forth in time/perspectives to keep the tension ratcheted all the way up.

“'A great day is upon us. He is coming. The world will be washed away.'”

On the wind-battered isle of Altnaharra, off the wildest coast of Scotland, a clan prepares to bring about the end of the world and its imminent rebirth.

The Adder is coming and one of their number will inherit its powers. They all want the honor, but young Eve is willing to do anything for the distinction.

A reckoning beyond Eve’s imagination begins when Chief Inspector Black arrives to investigate a brutal murder and their sacred ceremony goes terribly wrong.

And soon all the secrets of Altnaharra will be uncovered.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire/Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

This is a hard one to review!! On the one hand, I was immediately captivated with the prose and opening scene. It really succeeds in setting the tone of this intensely gothic setting in 1920s-1930s Scotland. This was my favorite part- the language, the setting, the overall setup of these children being made to believe the strange teachings of their “Uncle.”

But on the other hand, there was never any flow to the story. It wasn’t easy to get lost in, and I personally felt like I had to work to wade through everything that was going on. Which to be fair is something I don’t generally enjoy, but know others might. It did surprise me at the end and I thought the “how” was interesting. Some good horror imagery but the reader is mostly left to envision things themself rather than having them explained. I never felt any sort of connection to the characters though.

I received an eARC via NetGalley to read in exchange for my honest review!

Big warning, there are some truly horrific things in this book. This author has that style so definitely go into it with that expectation. The story is moving and the writing is gorgeous but it is so unsettling.